Ecotourism Proposal for Narnala, Wan and Ambabarwa Wild Life Sanctuaries under Akot Wild Life Division, (Melghat Tiger Reserve

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Kham Talao: Narnala Wildlife Sanctuary

Akot WildLife Division

Akot: Maharashtra.HISTORY OF NARNALA FORT

The district gazetteer of Akola describes the Narnala fort in a very lucid manner: An excerpt :-

Narnala is an ancient fortress in the hills in the north of Akot, taluka at a point where a narrow tongue of Akola District runs a few miles in to the Melghat. It is uninhabited but is in charge of a patel and patwari; the latter, Narayan Dattatreya, has a fund of information about it. The fortress lies about 12 miles north of Akot, the road passing through Bordi and the deserted village of Shahanur. The latter village lies within the first roll of the hills but just at the foot of the real ascent. Its lands were made forest two years ago and signs of cultivation are rapidly disappearing. It has a bungalow and sarai, through no caretaker, and carts can go only as far as this. The rest of the road is under the care of the District Board but is in parts exceedingly steep and stony; however camels mount it, and it is possible to ride a horse all the way. The road climbs a spur of the hills and then follows a ridge, the whole ascent from Shahanur occupying less than an hour. About half way up it crosses first one and then another piece of level ground, each thickly sprinkled with Mohammedan tombs. These are called Lahan and mota sati maidan; on the left side of the road in the upper plot is a small broken stone having carved on it an up-raised hand, a sun, and crescent moon, which is described as Saticha hat, Sati's hand. Presently the lower range of fortification comes in to sight, a line of blackened walls crowning cliffs of black stone and lying dwarfed but massive along the folds of the hill-side. Accomplishing three quarters of the ascent the road passes through the first gateway crowned like the rest with an arch lofty enough for elephants to pass. A curtain projecting on the outer side of the gateway is called Saha Gotyachi Sapili because its full height, about 30 feet; is made up of six great stones placed on top of the other. Lions in different attitudes ornament both the outside and the inside of the gateway. The path passes two other strong gateways and one slighter one before entering the heart of the fort, and climbs meanwhile to the upper most ghats. Between the last two gateways are the domed tombs of Bag Wawar Wali and Gaz Badshan Wali. The former not only rode a tiger in his life but even now a tiny white tiger may be seen at night going to and from his tomb. Passing the last gateway one comes almost at once before the Ambar Bangala, the kacheri of former day and the chief rest house of the present. It is a lofty building looking on to a cemented courtyard which formerly contained a fountain and was roofed with wood. The bangala has a flat roof reached by a long and steep staircase, and walls around the roof give shade during the greater part of the day, while openings afford a wide view over both plain country and hills. Akot is generally visible, with the nearer villages, and in the clear air of the rains one can plainly see the flooded Purna 25 miles away. (At an equal distance on the west the fortress of Pimpaldol crowns one of the two highest hills in that part of the satpuras, a fairly large fortification but one also little known that its existence is sometimes denied by people living just below it and even by Mahars who go on pilgrimage to one if its tanks.) Just across the courtyard is the tomb of Burhanuddin, some times called "the dogs' temple," and beyond it is the Shakkar talao, a tank of some little size. The tomb is a common place stone platform with a few tombstones upon it and a dilapidated building beside it. It has long been known as a place where the bite of a mad dog, jackal, or rat may be cured, people come from Shegaon, Balapur, Mahan and even Basim, 90 miles away, to the number of 100 or 150 in a year. They offer gur, channa, ud, and phul-- country sugar, parched gram, incense, and flowers-- walk five times around the stone platform, place in their mouths five grains of gram and a very little of the other food offered, and walk away with their eyes fixed on the ground till they have passed the first gateway of the fort (a few hundred yards away). One of the jaglias of Narnala directs the proceedings and adds to his income by the gifts of patients. Intelligent people of the neighborhood are convinced that the cure is effective if performed before hydrophobia has appeared in the patient, and jaglia says it even takes effect later, but every year there are one or two cases of visitors who die of hydrophobia either just before or just after visiting the tomb. The local experts hold the common belief that hydrophobia is very apt to remain latent during the dry seasons and manifest itself at the first fall of rain. The number of visitors to the tomb does not increase just at that time, but the difficulty of travelling would explain this; people vow to make the pilgrimage at a more convenient time.

Pilgrims return after paying tribute at the Burhanuddin Tomb

The Shakkar Talao is connected with various legends. The cow called Kapila, pure white, and Kamdhenu, the granter of desires, descends from heaven at midnight and passes through the water to a pinda, shrine, of Mahadeo beneath it, and there yields her milk. Unhappily this story was told long ago to an incredulous Deputy Commissioner, who at first made the retort that though all other liars might be dead the relater was one left alive, and then had the tank sounded and searched by a Bhoi diver. Nothing was found but mud, upon which the officer added, 'Is there nothing in the tank?'. Then take the patwari (who had told the tale) and drown him there'; and though the order was not enforced this unsympathetic attitude has greatly discouraged the recounting of anecdotes. It is said also that a paras, spike of a dome, lies in the tank with the power of turning everything it touches into gold, and that an elephant's shackles were once changed in this way when it entered the tank. The water dried up in the famine of 1899 -1900 and nothing was found, but it is remarked that no one knows what is hidden in the mud. At the west end of the courtyard mentioned are a pretty mosque and handsome stables, while near the other end is a block of four large covered cisterns with broken but graceful arches rising above them, Some have thought them Jain water- cisterns, but they are locally called tupache- take and said to have been used for storing, oil and ghi for the large garrison. The fort covers 392, acres, and the walls, which only approximately keep at the same level, wind about so much in following the shape of the hill that people say the full circuit measures 24 miles. It would certainly take very many hours to trace out all the buildings, especially as the walls, through generally in excellent condition, have crumbled in places and the enclosure is much overgrown with long grass and bushes. It is said that there were 22 tanks, six of which still hold water all the year, 22 gates, and 360 Buruj towers or bastions. The first fortifications, according to tradition, were made by Narayendrepuri, a descendant of the Pandavas and at the time emperor of Hastinapur (Delhi). Later Muhammad Bahmani of Bijapur got possession and nearly all the present buildings seem to be of Mohammedan origin. The fort passed afterwards to the Maratha, Dakhani, followers of Shivaji and his descendants, then to the Peshwa, the Nizam, the Bhonsalas, the Nizam again, and finally to the British, but people say that throughout all this history no great fight ever took place over it. At the same time they tell some warlike stories about the fort. Muhammadans say that when men of their religion first came to this part of India Narnala and Gawilgrah were held by deotas, spirits, who seized and ate any of them who approached the forts, presently the Fourteen Hundred Champions came with supernatural powers. Narnala was in the hands of three great deotas, Raja II, Naranalswami, and Raja Bairat, and its conquest was undertaken by two great awalyas, Ambi Awalya and Dulash Rahman. The former is buried at Dharud, 4 miles away, and the latter seems to be the traditional conqueror of Ellichpur, the city of Raja II. The deotas were at first contemptuous of 'these atoms of men,' but were soon obliged to take refuge in some vaults in the fort and were there captured. They were asked what they would have done had they won, and replied that they would have skinned their opponents and hung the skins, filled with Bhusa, chaff, at the gates. The awalyas then turned the deotas into stones, the figures of Raja II and Narnalswami being still shown above a precipice not far from the ordinary entrance road. Ambi awalya struck the former with his fist and split the stones in two. Raja Bairat asked that his fate might take place at Ellichpur and that Muhammadans might worship on one side of him and Hindus on the other, and this was granted. A legend also connects a hill a little to the south west of the fort with its capture in the time of Aurangzeb. On the top of the hill is the Daragad of Saiduliboa or Saidulilwali; it is said that a gun was taken up there unknown to the Dakhanis and delivered by night so effective a fire that the garrison fled. Again the name Sati Maidan is sometime applied to the whole sweep of hill- side between Shahanur and the fort, and the explanation is given that a vast number of men were killed here in the time of Aurangazeb, the tombs of the Muhammadans alone remaining; the name would then have the general meaning of plain of Death. The vaults, Bhuyar, mentioned lie a short distance to the west of the Ambar Bangala; they are a series of small chambers connected by low archways and are sometimes called zanan khana on the supposition that they were meant for the residence of gosha women, women who must not be seen in the public. Their purpose is however not certain, and their extent is not known. An attempt to explore them, inspired by the hope of finding treasure, was defeated by great number of bats coming upon the intruders, who were also afraid of snakes. A late jaglia of Narnala, Gafur Ahmad, is said to have driven a score of sheep in to the vaults to see where they would come out. One emerged at Gawilgarh, more than 20 miles away, but no trace was ever found of the others. A cross stands on a high point on the eastern side of the fort and marks the grave of a European officer who was left in charge and died here after the battle of Argaum, but no trace of his name is left. Among the buildings on the east side is a Nagar-khana where prisoners used to be kept in a pit, with a big stone over their heads, to await execution. A few hundred yards off is the khuni buruj, where a platform was built on the edge of a sheer precipice over which criminals were sometimes hurled. The nau-gaj top nine yard gun, lies between these two. A ball from it is said once to have carried off the golden spike set on the domed building at a Dharud in the plain below and to have continued its flight till it fell in to the tank at Kutasa, 20 miles away. (It is also said at Narnala that the Hemadadpanthi temple at Kutasa contains enough buried treasure to restore the fort, the repeated mention of Kutasa perhaps showing its former importance).

The nine-yard Canon of Narnala

Formerly there was a sister gun called khadak bijli, terrible lightning, but this somehow fell over the cliff in to Chandan Khora, the valley of sandal wood, and mysteriously disappeared from sight. Two other guns lie near the Akot gate, to the south of the ordinary entrance, but the bulk of the military stores were removed in 1858. Tantia Tope and Mugutrao were then at Jalgaon, the headquarters of the taluka on the west, and it was thought that they might seize these stores, though the fortress was in the hands of the Nizam. The guns were therefore taken off to Akot, the Tahsildar gathering 1000 or 1200 people together for the task of bringing them down the hills, and the guns being hauled across the plain by long teams of oxen in one confused procession. The powder and sulphur were brought out of the magazine and watered and burnt, but a spark got in to the last cask before it was removed; such an explosion followed that one still hears how peoples ears rang, and men were knocked down by the hundred, while two rockets went sailing across the fort in to the hills; but the magazine, a strong building, withstood the shock and is still to be seen.

The Dhobi Talao, though in ruins, is still a favorite waterhole for wildlife

The Dhobi Talao is a pretty tank which holds water all the year. It has a series of arches at one side, with summer houses, if one may use the word, consisting of two stone chambers one above the other and covered by a flat roof. Water was taken thence to a garden, and one stone is grooved in allmost a score of places by the rope which ran on it. The garden is ascribed to the Bhonsalas and is still marked by some champa trees, while two lofty stands for tulsi, basil, plants also reveal Hindu influences. Moreover a shrine of Mahatoba, or Mhatoba, on the south of the tank, is famed for the cure of snakebite. The victim must utter the name of the god and place a stone or piece of earth on his head. Upon this he has invariably strength to reach the shrine, the power of the poison being checked. Arriving there he burns a little ghi in a lamp, or ral, ud, gugul, resin or incense, or some things of the sort. Presently he shivers and sweats-- or according to the report of some eye witnesses the god sweats-- and straightway the man is cured; cattle are also healed. A Mahar of Warud who was cured in this way comes on a yearly pilgrimage and puts the shrine in order. Now it consists simply of a rough reddened stone on a rough platform, and its importance must be diminished by the snake god at Shivpur below the ghat, 5 miles distant. Quite close to the stone of Mhatoba is an image of Mahabir or Bajrangbali, holding its hand upraised and supported by a much smaller figure. The dalabadal, containing the old mint, is quite near, and a Mohammedan graveyard is at no great distance. It is said that the Bhonsalas had 2000 or 2500 men here, and the number and variety of buildings show clearly that there must have been a large population, but now the place is generally empty save when Hindu pilgrims visit the tomb of Saiduliboa and Burhanuddin in the rains, or Muhammadans come in Ramzan, or the dog -bitten come for healing. Evil spirits, bhuts and shaitans, are said to haunt it; wherever the walls are broken are the tracks of wild beasts, morning and evening peacock come to the tank, and at night sambar also come thither, following well- worn tracks through the ancient gateways.

The Bajrangbali Temple still attracts pilgrims every year

AHMAD SHAH VISITS BERAR AND REPAIRS NARNALA

Ahmad Shah, the ninth king of the dynasty, was compelled to visit his northern province owing to the invasion of eastern Berar by the Gonds. After driving the introducers from his dominions he halted for a year at Ellichpur, and while there built the fort of Gawil and repaired that of Narnala in the Akola District. These expressions, which are used by Firishta in connection with the two forts, have been understood to mean that the antiquity of Narnala is superior to that of Gawilgrah, but they were probably used loosely, for there is no building in Narnala which can be assigned with any certainty to a period earlier than that of Ahmad Shahs soujrn in Ellilchpur, and the evidence for the supposition that the covered cisterns in the fort were the hand work of Jains of pre Muhammadan times is most unsatisfactory.

The intricately carved Mahakali Gate

IMAD UL MULK REPAIRS NARNALAIn the reign of Mahmud shah III, the assumption of supreme power in Bidar by Kasim Barid, a Turk, disgusted the tarajdars, whose allegiance to Mahmud was, after the year 1487 merely nominal. Fateh-ullah Imad- ul-Mulk, who retained to the end an affectionate regard for the son and successor of Mahmud Shah, was resolved not to be the servant of the Turkish upstart, and now began to pave the way for an open declaration of his independence by repairing and strengthening his fort. The inscriptions over the beautiful Mahakalil or Muhammadi gate of the fortress of Narnala, Though they contain exaggerated expressions of respect for the roe fainant Mahamud, record the fact that the gate, which is the strongest in the fort, was built by Fateh-ullah in 1487.NARNALA WILD LIFE SANCTUARY

An Introduction:-

The Government of Maharashtras Notification No WLP/1096/CR-279/F-1 dated 2nd May 1997 declared the ancient Narnala Fort and its surrounding patch of thick green forests as the Narnala Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Narnala Sanctuary comprising of only 12.35 Sq Kms lies nestled in the Satpura Hill Ranges barely 60 Kms away from Akola. The Sanctuary, touching a maximum altitude of 933.50 msl, has temperature varying from 35 to 43 degree Celsius and an annual rainfall that varies from 500 to 900 mm. Lying south of the Melghat Tiger Reserve, this Sanctuary is under the administrative control of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Division Akot working under the Conservator of Forests and Field Director, Melghat Tiger Reserve based at Amravati.The Akot WildLife Division with its Headquarters at Akot has the following Wildlife Sanctuaries under its administrative control.

Sl. NoName of WildLife SanctuaryArea in Sq. KmsDistrict

1Narnala Wildlife Sanctaury12.35 Akola District

2Wan WildLife Sanctuary205.86Amravati district

3Ambabarwa WildLife Sanctuary127.11Buldana District

The area is well known for its richness of flora and fauna. The Sanctuary area has special historical, biological, mythological, archaeological, scenic and recreational values and is a point of attraction for the tourists and the people of Maharashtra. The rich and varied miscellaneous forests of the area provide natural habitat to birds and wild animals.

APPROACH AND ACCESSAir : - Nagpur airport - 270 km from Akot

Rail :- Akola railway station (broad gauge) - 65 km from Narnala

Akot railway station (meter gauge) - 20 km from Narnala

Road: - Buses / Taxies from Akot/Akola available.

Season:- The best season to visit is from October to May.

The village of Shanhanur is the main gateway to the sanctuary. A tar road connects Shahanur to Popatkheda on the Akot-Harisal State highway. The main approach is-

Akot to Popatkheda 12 km (State highway)

Popatkheda to Shahanur - 5 km (Tar road)

Shahanur gate to Narnala fort - 7 km (Tar road through the sanctuary)

Akot is the nearest city and lies on the Purna Ajmer metre gauge railway line. The nearest broad gauge railway station is Akola (45 km) which lies on the Mumbai-Nagpur-Howrah main railway line. The proximity to the railhead at Akola makes it accessible to people from Mumbai as well as those from Nagpur.

The serpentine Tar Road winds its way right up to the FortSTATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE.

Narnala Sanctuary is a continuation of Gawilgarh range of Satpura Hills and provides an important extension of Melghat. It serves as a corridor between the Melghat Tiger Reserve and the Wan Sanctuary. In fact, it acts as a gateway to Melghat from the southern side. The area is already under the administrative control of Project Tiger Directorate and is being included in MTR.

The hill fort of Narnala is the central attraction from which the name of the Sanctuary is derived. It is a very old structure with some reports suggesting that the first fortifications were made by the descendents of Pandavas. The fort consists of 3 separate forts of Jaffarabad in the East, Narnala in the center and Telyagarh in the West. The fort is enclosed, except in those places where natural escarpment of rock renders artificial defense unnecessary, by crenellated stone walls. The fort covers 392 acres with a wall perimeter of 24 miles (36 km). It is said to have 22 gates and 360 Buruj towers or bastions.

Sunset over the ruins as seen from Telyagarh Fort

The Archaeological Survey of India has declared a number of monuments as protected vide Government of Central Provinces Notifications dated 7/6/1916, 20/11/1924 and 11/4/1925 under the Ancient Monument Preservation Act 1904, attached as Appendix III. The various structures declared as protected monuments are Narnala Fort, Amber Mahal, Shahanur gateway, Mahakali gateway, Mehandi gateway, Akot gateway, Delhi gateway, Shirpur gateway, Small mosque, the large and two smaller guns and the tank built to contain oil and ghee.

The tank built to store oil and Ghee silhouetted against the clear blue winter sky

The ancient Narnala Fort encompassing the entire plateau adds historical value and enhances the natural scenic beauty of the Sanctuary. With Mahals, massive canons and intricately carved Gates dotting the landscape, the Sanctuary attracts a host of visitors and pilgrims every year. A Mosque and a Hanuman Temple situated at the top add to the religious diversity. However, the most remarkable feature of the Sanctuary is the remnants of a well-planned, highly efficient Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) system, which even to this day offers a permanent refuge for the wild animals and birds of the Sanctuary. More than 20 of such talaos are believed to have been in existence, with many downhill talaos being fed with water from the topmost Shakkar talao through an elaborate network of drainage channels. Now most of the lakes have been covered by silt but only 6 large talaos still holds water throughout the year, while the department in phases desilts 5-6 talaos annually and provides artificial water holes in strategic locations. With Akola and other adjoining districts reeling under acute scarcity of water, this ancient wisdom of harvesting rain water needs to be highlighted, the system revitalized and restored to its former glory and projected to our modern day populace as a practicable and efficient water conservation technique.

The 'Dog Temple' survives till today and is a place in the area where it is believed that the bites of mad dog, jackals etc are supposed to be cured if the affected person takes a dip in Shakkar Talao and visits the dog temple. Many people still visit the area on this belief to take a dip in the holy tank and offer flowers at the temple. Both Hindus and Muslims visit the area.

The valuable endemic species like Sandal (Santalum album) are reported to be occurring in one of the fragile valleys in the area aptly named Chandan Khora.

The existence of a large number of medicinal plants like Safed Musli (Chlorophytom tuberosum), Shatawari (Asparagus racemosus) etc and the proximity to the MPCA at Gullarghat in MTR add to the ecological significance of the Sanctuary.

ECOTOURISM PLANS FOR NARNALA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Eco-tourism- responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people. (The Ecotourism Society)

Eco-tourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people. Eco-tourism emphasizes on local resources and local participation, it is about exploiting tourisms potential for conservation and development and about averting its negative impact on ecology, culture and aesthetics. The enormous opportunities and awesome risks of nature tourism lie at the heart of the eco-tourism mission.

Tourism is the worlds largest employers accounting for 10% of jobs worldwide (WTO 1999). With over 30,000 protected areas around the world covering about 10% of the land surface (IUCN 2002), it is imperative that management of Protected Areas (PAs) move toward a more integrated form of management that focuses on the interface between the Government and the local stakeholders and the role that external agencies like NGOs can play in brokering appropriate institutional arrangements. An arrangement, which recognizes the conservation needs as well as the social and economic needs of the communities living in and around protected areas while bringing in more aware and responsible travelers to these natural areas. The ecological significance & fragility of these PAs coupled with the poor economic status of the people necessitates an integrated approach to tourism in order to address both these drawbacks.

Keeping the above realities in mind, the Akot Wild Life Division proposes to take up a Community based Ecotourism project for Nature Conservation in all the three Wild Life Sanctuaries under the Division. This project envisages that the local community would reap the economic benefits that tourism could bring while at the same time arousing their concern & pride in their rich natural and cultural heritage, which in turn will motivate them towards preservation & conservation of these resources.

Objectives of the Project.

This scheme expects to achieve the following objectives: Bring about active peoples participation in conservation and protection of natural resources including wildlife, water and forests.

Economic development of the local people through non-consumptive management and use of forest areas of natural, historical and mythological importance.

Eco-restoration & conservation of existing forested areas of scenic beauty.

Revive the pride and interest of local communities in their rich natural and cultural heritage thereby steering them towards conservation and preservation of these common resources.

Capacity building & Enhancement of interpretive skills of local guides

Interpretive information at the destination through creation of Ethnic information & exhibition cottages,

Improve production and marketing skills of communities particularly on local artifacts, handicrafts, souvenir items etc.

To popularize ethnic culture and cuisine through the establishment of tribal canteens and food stalls, amphitheatres etc.

To provide of a virtual reality experience to visitors through close intermingling with local communities in ethnic settings.

To make travelers to these sanctuaries more responsible, aware and nature & environment friendly by carrying out campaigns through advertisements, signages, multimedia coverage etc.

Packaging and publicity of destination areas through creation of websites, calendars, brochures, pamphlets, travelogues etc.

Our Checklist records about 150 species of birds and the animals commonly sighted include Fox, Jackal, Wild pig, hare, Sloth bear etc. with occasional sightings of Tiger and Leopard. The old forts also provide refuge for several colonies of bats.

The small Korku tribal hamlet called Shahanur hails the visitors at the gate of the Sanctuary. This village of amicable Korku tribals offers a window to the traditions and culture of this tribe. In the face of rapid globalization, there is however a great need to restore the pride of these people in their cultural and natural heritage and channelized it towards meeting conservation objectives at the same time enhancing their capacity for cash generation to meet the challenges of this globalized market economy. With sincere efforts and minimum funding, the sanctuary can be developed as an ideal eco-tourism destination providing income generation opportunities for the local villagers and enhancing visitors satisfaction.

A Korku woman of Shahanur village in traditional attire.

Due to the religious & mythological significance of the sanctuary, every year Narnala is flooded with travelers of all religions and from all walks of life. While religious sentiment becomes a delicate issue that cannot be totally ignored, the negative environmental impact of this religious tourism also cannot be overlooked. Hence, environment friendly energy generation techniques and pollution free conveyance system could create an ideal ambiance for increasing visitors satisfaction with very little or no damage to the environment. Use of Wind & Solar energy for lighting purpose & pumping water could be ideal methods of energy generation while ropeways/ cable cars for conveying tourists and pilgrims from Chandan Khora to the fort would an added attraction and the first of its kind in this region.Existing infrastructure

Forest Rest House at Akot

ZP accommodation at Shahanur villageFor reservation at the Forest Rest House one may contact :

The Deputy Conservator of Forests

Akot WildLife Division

Popatkhed Road

Akot-444101

Telephone: 07258-222211.Attractions: Some of the special attractions of the Sanctuary are: Historical/ Archaeological structures:- Narnala Fort, Amber Mahal, Shahanur gateway, Naksha Gateway, Mahakali gateway, Mehandi gateway, Akot gateway, Delhi gateway, Shirpur gateway, Moti Masjid, the 9 yard long large canon and two smaller canons and the tank built to contain oil and ghee. The Archaeological Survey of India has declared all these structures as protected monuments.

The excellent rainwater harvesting and drainage system built on the fort plateau epitomizes the ancient wisdom of water conservation through rainwater harvesting. A total of 22 large tanks and numerous smaller tanks were connected in a well-planned intricate manner that the overflow of water from tanks situated at a higher elevation flows into tanks at lower elevation. Thus ensuring that not a single drop of rain is allowed to go waste.

Taking a dip in the Shakkar Talao & Offering flowers at the Dog Temple in the sanctuary is believed prevent and cure rabies from the bites of mad dogs, jackals etc. People from as far as MP visits the sanctuary for this purpose.

Major mammals including Tiger, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Chital etc. Several large colonies of bats inhabit the dark ruins of the fort.

The bird life is also very rich with a large number of resident as well as migratory. Migratory waterfowls can be seen in the perennial water bodies situated on the Narnala plateau. The Kham talao (Cover Photo) is a mini paradise for bird lovers.

A glimpse into the culture of the local korku tribe through interaction with the people of Shahanur village, right at the entrance of the Sanctuary.

Korku dancers performs for visitors

Excellent potential for the development of adventure activities like rappelling, trekking, gliding etc.

A Korku family returns home from the market

Bullock Carts are still the most common mode of transport for these tribals.Apart form this, Narnala also serves as the southern gateway to Melghat and is an excellent launching point for visiting places like Khatkali, Gullarghat, Surai waterfall, Dhargad, Bori, Koktoo etc. The visitors specially the adventurous nature lovers can straightaway take the trek route that can take them from Shahanur village right up to the courtyard of Ambar Mahal and the Moti Masjid. From thereon they can visit the Barhanudin Tomb as well as take a dip at the Shakkar Talao or they can take to the right and see the well made for storing Oil and Ghee and proceed towards the plateau where they can see the main channels that bring in rainwater to the Shakkar Talao. The choice is now theirs as to whether they continue on the same route and come out at the point where the nine yard canon lies or they can backtrack and go through the ruins and other smaller tombs. Proceeding in this direction would bring them to the Forest Inspection hut and the windy point from where one can enjoy the view of the scenic Satpura mountains and the Gullarghat village in the valley below.

For those leisurely visitors, they can then walk down the circular forest road that runs through the nine yard canon, forest watchtower, Mot Talao, Dhobi Talao, Imli Talao and the Delhi Gate and come out near the Forest Hut. For those with more time on their hands, the downhill trek of 40 minute to 1 hour will take them to Gullarghat village where an Interpretation Center and camping huts are available. From Gullarghat village the Dhargad Temple is just a few kilometers away. Dhargad also has a two room Forest Rest House.

The Cave Shrine of Lord Shiva at Dhargad

The Mahadev temple at Dhargad is a popular place of pilgrimage for thousands of devotees. Every year on the third Monday of the holy month of Shravan (Month of August) thousands of people walk miles for a Darshan at the temple. All the pilgrims that approaches the temples from several entry points then treks through the mountains and the forts of Narnala, finally exiting at Shahanur village.

All these features make Narnala a hotspot from the Ecotourism point of view. The Sanctuary caters to the varied needs of people with diverse interests.

Thousands of untold stories for historians

Nature in all its varied seasonal glory for naturalists

Shanti for those in search of peace & spiritual solace.

Raw adventure for action buffs.

Continuity with Wan and Melghat for leisurely people with more time.

Well-trodden trek routes from Shahanur to the Fort, Fort to Dhargad, Gullarghat etc.

Proposed components of the scheme indicating a tentative percentage cost of each component (Subject to need based site specific deviations)

(a) Forest & tourism activities (Within sanctuary area)

25%

(b) Tourism related income-generating activities

25%

(c) Capacity building, Training & awareness creation

10%

(d) Packaging and publicity of destination

05%

(e) Renovations/creation of basic infrastructure

15%

(f) Ethnic & Nature Information complex / Exhibition Cottage20%

Proposed Activities

Sl.

NoName of ActivitiesRemarks/ Justification

1Development of Nature TrailsThe existing trek routes would be improved, resting sheds, wastebaskets, drinking water facilities etc would be provided.

2Provision of drinking water

(Pumping & Purification)Narnala is a rocky plateau with no natural source of drinking water except for the Rainwater Harvesting tanks. The water from these tanks would be pumped and purified for drinking purpose through use of solar energy.

3Creation of water holes for better wildlife sightingArtificial water holes would be constructed at strategic places for better wildlife sighting. Water would be pumped and distributed through well-laid pipelines.

4Low Cost, environment friendly sanitation system for touristsA low cost solid waste and night soil management sanitation system would be set in place for convenience of tourists.

5Minor repairs / maintenance to roadsOnly minor and critical repairs would be done for visitors safety and easy conveyance.

6Machangs/ Watchtowers/ Sunset points for nature and wildlife viewingFor greater satisfaction of tourists.

7Arboretum garden based on Korku traditionsTo enlighten tourist about the rich traditions of the korkus specially their Traditional Healthcare System based on wild plants.

8Creation of ethnic Paying Guest Accommodation in villagesThe villagers would be given incentives to make traditional huts with standard WCs for the accommodation of tourists through Revolving Fund created under this project.

9Low Cost, environment friendly sanitation system for tourists in the villageA low cost solid waste and night soil management sanitation system would be set in place for convenience of tourists.

10Nature & ethnicity based souvenir items Souvenir items like local handicraft items, postcards, T-Shirts, Caps etc would be procured.

11 Establishment of educational Childrens ParkA nature and wildlife based educational childrens park would be established where children can play and learn about nature.

13Tribal canteen with ethnic cuisinesThis would be established near the entrance of the sanctuary. The village Self Help Groups would be encouraged to run the canteen.

14Information Center An information Center will be set up at Akot in the forest colony near the main road.

15Training of local people in handicraft, Income generation activities like apiculture etcThis will be done on based on the need and capacity of people and after assessing the marketability of the products

16Training/ Exposure trips for forest staffs and villagers.Forest staff as well as villagers would be taken to identified sites with successful Ecotourism programs, JFM sites, self sufficient villages etc

17Nature awareness camps and programs for women and school childrenNature camps would be organized for school children of Akola district at Narnala and at Shahanur. Other programs would be conducted for women on nature, health and sanitation etc.

18Publicity Brochures, pamphlets, calendars, booklets, stickers etc would be procured.

19Packaging of destinationLaunching of website, placing of pictorial signages of Narnala at strategic sites in the district.

20Renovation & extension of FRH at AkotThe Forest Rest House would be renovated and extensions made to provide more camping space for tourists and guests invited for different programs under this project

21Improvement of the reception cell at Shahanur gateThe existing reception cell would be improved in such a way that it projects the historical and ethnic diversity of the sanctuary

22Repair and maintenance of the tourist Mini Bus for conveyance of visitorsThe State Transport runs only one bus service from Akot to Shahanur. Hence the Mini Bus of the division would be repaired and used for conveyance of tourists/ schoolchildren from Akot to Narnala.

23Establishment of Ethnic & Nature interpretation Complex.This complex would be made at Shahanur/ Akot subjected to site availability. All relevant information on nature, wildlife and tribal culture would be projected.

24Cultural programsThis would involve dance & drama programs, competitions, sports etc to showcase various ethnic traditions and culture.

25Ropeways/ Cable cars

As Environment friendly conveyance system and an added attraction for tourists

Some places of attraction accessible from Narnala

Wan Wildlife Sanctuary through which the river Wan flows.

A view of Wan River from the Forest Inspection Hut

Campfire & Camping site of Wan Sanctuary

The dam over the river Wan that supplies drinking water to Akot and Akola cities

The More than 400 years old Hanuman Temple at Wari

More photos of Narnala Sanctuary

The Mahakali Gate also known as Naksha Gate, Narnala Wildlife Sanctuary

The Moti Masjid silhouetted against the sunset

Narnala Wild Life Sanctuary

Where History and Nature mingle in Harmony

Shakkar Talao holds water throughout the year even today:

A boon for the animals & birds of Narnala WildLife Sanctuary

PAGE 12Ms Imtienla Ao IFS. Deputy Conservator of Forest. Akot WildLife Division, Akot.Maharashtra.